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6th May 2021

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THE HOT STORY

Biden administration blocks Trump-era gig worker rule

The Biden administration has blocked a Trump-era rule that would have made it easier to classify gig workers as independent contractors instead of employees. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said: "By withdrawing the independent contractor rule, we will help preserve essential worker rights and stop the erosion of worker protections that would have occurred had the rule gone into effect. Too often, workers lose important wage and related protections when employers misclassify them as independent contractors." A spokesperson for Uber acknowledged that the current employment system is outdated, saying "It forces a binary choice upon workers: to either be an employee with more benefits but less flexibility, or an independent contractor with more flexibility but limited protections." The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it hopes the Biden administration does not pursue new rules that would limit earning opportunities for independent workers. "We are disappointed to see the administration withdraw a balanced rule that was well-grounded in the law and provided certainty to workers and businesses about worker classification," the chamber said in a statement. But the AFL-CIO, one of the largest unions in the U.S., praised the Labor Department for ditching the rule, "which would have made it easier to misclassify workers."

REMOTE WORKING

Google says a fifth of workers will be remote workers

Google expects about 20% of its staff to work remotely after the company's offices reopen this fall, and some 60% will work a hybrid schedule that includes about three days in the office and two days “wherever they work best.” The remaining 20% of workers can change their location to a different Google office. “The future of work is flexibility,” CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in an email to employees that outlined a policy that relaxed the company's stricter earlier stance. “The changes . . . are a starting point to help us do our very best work and have fun doing it.” Employees will - for up to 20 days per year - also be able to work from any location other than their main office. The previous such allotment was 10 days. The company will also continue to offer workers extra “reset” days — days off to help them cope with the impact of the pandemic.

U.S. News

Wall Street Journal

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

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MANAGEMENT

Zoom boosted its compliance team during pandemic

The Wall Street Journal reports on how San Jose, Calif.-based videoconferencing company Zoom formalized its risk and ethics functions with the hiring of its first chief compliance officer last year and the building of a new compliance team with the addition of 50 more lawyers and compliance professionals. Lynn Haaland, the company’s deputy general counsel and chief compliance and ethics officer, told the WSJ Risk & Compliance Forum that Zoom has created individual teams working on issues related to compliance and ethics including the internal code of conduct and training, privacy, regulatory compliance, technical compliance, and “trust and safety.” Zoom’s chief information security officer, general counsel and the chief operating officer all also help identify and mitigate risks facing the company. Ms. Haaland said Zoom has a “speak-up culture” focused on transparency, and the company’s compliance team has also been reconsidering its approach to compliance training. Zoom is now offering tailored, shorter training, including quizzes and reviews from past lessons, in five- to seven-minute sound-bites once a month rather than requiring an hour or so of training on the company’s code of conduct policy once a year, she said.

Wall Street Journal

Ripple names new CFO amid SEC lawsuit

San Francisco-based startup Ripple Labs has named Kristina Campbell as its new chief financial officer, as it navigates a legal dispute with U.S. securities regulators over claims that the company violated investor protection laws when it sold XRP, a digital asset. It has also added former U.S. Treasurer Rosie Rios to its board. Ripple, which uses blockchain technology to send money across borders for banks and other financial institutions, has been charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission with conducting an illegal securities offering that allegedly raised more than $1.3bn through sales of XRP.

CNBC

Wall Street Journal

LEGAL

Toys ‘R’ Us creditors call for jury trial on executive bonuses

Bankruptcy administrators for defunct retailer Toys ‘R’ Us are trying to put its former top leaders on trial before a jury over the millions of dollars in bonuses they received in the days before the company’s plunge into bankruptcy. By paying bonuses before bankruptcy, the companies got around legal restrictions on retention payments, which kick in when a business files for Chapter 11 protection. Litigation targets include former chief executive David Brandon, who received $2.8m as part of a plan that handed top executives 75% of their annual salary three days before bankruptcy. A jury trial would allow members of the public to weigh the executives’ bonuses against the 31,000 people who lost their jobs and didn’t get the severance pay they expected because Toys ‘R’ Us failed to reorganize.

Wall Street Journal

WORKFORCE

Loblaw workers are appreciated

Loblaw has reported a 30% surge in first quarter profit, which hit C$313m in the three months to March 27th, with revenue rising slightly to C$11.87bn, from C$11.8bn. The Canadian retailer's results were buoyed by an improvement in its financial services business, as well as better-than-expected gross margins in food and drug sales. Loblaw is reportedly planning to pay a one-time “appreciation bonus” to employees of C$25-C$175, depending on hours worked. It will also offer new “discount events” for employees who shop in Loblaw stores, which, coupled with the cash bonus, is expected to “average in the hundreds of dollars” per employee, according to the company.

Financial Post

CTV News

TECHNOLOGY

Robomart says ‘hail a store’ retail offers a new way to shop

A California start-up is offering on-demand mobile stores that consumers hail like Uber rides. Santa Monica-based Robomart calls itself the world’s first store-hailing platform. Vans stocked with merchandise come to consumers, who then pick out household cleaners, pain relievers, fruits and other items in contact-free transactions. Through a smartphone app, a consumer can see what a mobile store stocks, call it to their home or workplace, and open the van door with a swipe on a phone. The shopper’s account is automatically charged for anything pulled off the shelves and at prices comparable to those at stores. The van driver is not involved in the transaction. California van rental company Zeeba is supplying the vehicles, while Illinois-based Zebra Technologies and California-based Avery Dennison are supplying the merchandise tracking technology.

Baltimore Sun

INTERNATIONAL

'Gender critical' beliefs are protected by U.K. law, says watchdog

The belief that trans women are men is protected by U.K. law, the equalities watchdog has confirmed. The statement from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) followed the conclusion of a landmark trans rights case last week. Maya Forstater lost her job in March 2019 after being accused of "offensive" messages on social media questioning official plans to allow individuals to self-identify as being of the opposite sex. The case went to an employment tribunal in December 2019, which heard that Ms Forstater’s dismissal constituted discrimination against her "gender critical" beliefs. The claim was thrown out by employment judge James Tayler. She reiterated her views that biological sex is "real, important, immutable, and not to be conflated with gender identity" at an appeal hearing last week. The appeal tribunal’s verdict, which is due to be delivered in the coming months, will determine whether it becomes legal for people with "gender critical" beliefs to misgender trans people in the workplace. The EHRC submitted evidence supporting Ms Forstater. A spokesperson for the EHRC said: "We believe it is important that our courts and tribunals continue to robustly protect freedom of religion or belief . . . We are concerned that a contrary ruling by the Employment Appeal Tribunal could leave people unprotected from discrimination and harassment and could result in a restriction of people's freedom of speech on debates concerning transgender rights, Gender Recognition Act reform and definitions of 'woman' and 'man'.”

The Daily Telegraph

Saudi expats want second passports

New data from Dubai-headquartered immigration firm Citizenship Invest (CI) suggests Saudi expats are increasingly keen to obtain second passports. Veronica Cotdemiey, the firm’s chief executive, said that in the second half of last year, such interest increased by almost half (46%). According to CI, Libyan expats in Saudi Arabia were the largest group seeking second citizenship, followed by Syrians, Indians, Iraqis, Lebanese, Yemenis and Egyptians. Ms Cotdemiey posits that the pandemic has given many people the chance to reflect on “essential issues” and look to move themselves and their families to more secure countries. “People have realized that they strongly need a plan B, regardless of whether or not they have solid jobs or businesses, as this goes beyond financial security,” she said. “The power of having a strong passport in times of crisis is the ultimate insurance policy.”

Arab News

Singapore needs foreign tech talent

The head of Singapore’s central bank says the country needs foreign tech talent to stave off a crisis. Ravi Menon said that if the inflow of foreign labour is tightened excessively, “it will impair not just the competitiveness of our financial centre but dampen the prospects for creating good jobs in the future, especially for Singaporeans . . . The answer does not lie in restricting the inflow of foreign tech expertise. On the contrary, it is by attracting the best tech talents from around the world that we can anchor new tech capabilities and functions that expand job opportunities for Singaporeans.” A lack of local skills means Singaporeans make up just a third of the financial sector’s tech workforce, notes ITPro.

ITPro

OTHER

Peloton recalls all treadmills after reports of injuries

Peloton has announced voluntary recalls of its Tread and Tread+ products, totaling over 125,000 machines, amid safety concerns. The announcement marked a major reversal of Peloton’s initial reaction to requests for a recall and comes after weeks of discussions with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. In a statement, Peloton apologized for not acting more quickly to resolve the issue after reports of one death and dozens of injuries. “I want to be clear, Peloton made a mistake in our initial response to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s request that we recall the Tread+,” chief executive John Foley said in a statement. “We should have engaged more productively with them from the outset. For that, I apologize.” The CPSC told people with young children or pets in mid-April to stop using the Tread+ and urged a recall of the product, which it says was responsible for dozens of injuries and at least one death. The known death is that of a six-year-old who was pulled under the rear of one of the machines, the federal agency said.

CNBC

Wall Street Journal

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